History of the Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics
Overview The Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics itself is young for a country, having been formed less than four hundred years ago. However it is the unified government of the states of Carth, which are the inheritors of the Carth Republic. The Carth Republic can trace its history as an independent body to before the fall of the Golden Empire. Colonization and the Era of the Golden Empire Carth was first discovered by a Golden Empire officer named Richard Fletcher in 3410 BF. At first glance Carth was determined to be too cold for comfortable colonization and remained largely ignored for five hundred years, during which pirates and smugglers utilized the planet as a base of operations. These criminal elements recognized Carth as a potentional trade hub thanks to its position in the galaxy and utilized it to great affect. This continued until a Golden Empire task force was sent in 2995 BF to eleminate the growing pirate menace. It was at this point that the Golden Empire recognized Carth's potential and set about the formal colonization of the world. Carth was still considered too cold to be comfortable to colonize, thus the first order of business was to terraform the planet. The first official settlement on Carth was named Senator Post, located on the most warm equator. Senator Post was primarily a terraforming facility at first, but over the years it would become an important research facility. The colonization of Carth drew millions from around the galaxy and it rapidly grew its own economy and society. Its almost nonexistant laws in regards to human and xeno experimentation drew thousands of talented scientists who had felt restricted under the Golden Empire. The biological sciences bloomed in Carth, with many of its universities becoming recognized galaxy-wide as being authorities on the subject. At the same time the Carth colonial government took advantage of its prime location in the galaxy and quickly established it as an important trade hub in the region. The Golden Empire started construction of a series of massive space docks in 2990 BF. By the time the docks were done ten years later they were the largest in the region. The increased traffic thanks to the space docks helped expand Carth's economy further and encouraged even more people to migrate to Carth. Era of the Carth Republic and Deunification Like all other worlds, Carth was struck hard by the Longest Night. In fact Carth was hit particularly hard. Its economy had become dependent on trade with the other worlds of the Golden Empire and its population had grown to three times what the planet could support. The first year without support by the Golden Empire was characterized by mass famine, rioting, and the collapse of Carth's over burdened infastructure. By the start of the next year Carth's population had dropped from seventeen billion to just eight billion. Birth of the Republic Within five years it had become apparent to those on Carth that they had been forgotten and discarded. Carth's value as a trade hub had evaporated overnight and the planet had barely enough resources to sustain eight billion inhabitants in even the short term. The People of Carth saw only one option available to them, declare independence and seek out their own salvation. Within six years the people of Carth declared independence and formed a new republic. The republic was plagued with issues from its very birth. Out of the ten delegates elected to write up the new consitution, three wanted a loose confederacy, five wanted a strong federal system, one wanted a true democracy, and one wanted a communistic democracy. The end result was a weak compromise that pleased no one and angered all. At the same time a coalition of anti-xeno (alien) paramilitary groups rose up and began to terrorize the population. Fall of the Republic The new government proved time and again that it was not only ill-equipped to handle these paramilitary groups, but also meet the base needs of its citizens. In 51 AF what started as a minor riot in a factury district turned into a full rebellion. This rebellion would later become known as the Walker Revolution. While the Walker Revolution itself was quashed fairly quickly, it marked the beginning of a series of rebellions by other groups that would last for over fifty years. Matters were compounded further as global temperatures began to plumate in 80 AF, causing food supplies to dwindle even further. By the end of the century it had become clear that Carth was entering an ice age. Things came to a head in 113 AF when the Republican Army suffered a devistating defeat to revolutionary forces. Left unchecked, revolutionary forces captured Senator Post where the Republican government was centured. With its back shattered and its head removed, the Republic fell shortly after and was formally dissolved in early 114 AF. The Deunification Wars : See the full article on the Deunification Wars of Carth With the fall of the Republic, Carth rapidly fracutured into numerous warring states. At first the wars centered around population centers and factories; however as the planet grew colder natural resources became harder to reach and the battles centered around those. Meanwhile a few of these new countries tried their hand at colonizing the other planets in the star system. The war followed them. In 150 AF Carth's space docks were destroyed in battle and most attempts at colonization were brought to a halt. By 200 AF the war had expanded from merely being over resources and ideologies to racial differences. Concentration camps became the norm at this time and the xeno population rapidly droppe from one billion to less than several million over the course of a decade. By this point the technological difference between the various belligerents was great to say the least. Finally in 217 AF the deunification wars drew to an end with ten countries coming out on top as the great powers. With power more centralized diplomacy, not war, became the norm and countries could once again focus on providing for their citizens. Carth's total population had dropped from eight billion during the Republic to less than six billion. The Otnemarcasan Wars Out of the ten great powers of Carth, the Otnemarcas Empire was by far the most aggressive. In 340 AF it suddenly invaded its neighbors, overwhelming them in a matter of weeks. By 341 AF Otnemarcas and its allies controlled nearly half of the world and was waging war on the other half who where known as the Pentagon Alliance. At first the Pentagon Alliance found itself at a severe disadvantage as Otnemarcas was able to field far more troops then it. The allaince's only saving grace was its superior navy, which it used to prevent Otnemarcas from invading them directly. In 349 AF the Pentagon Alliance launched a massive offensive, using its superior naval force to take control of several vital straits that had previously been under Otnemarcasan control. At the same time Pentagon Alliance bombers commenced a large scale strategic bombing campaign that would continue until the war's end. By 345 AF the war's end was in sight. Otnemarcas and its allies were drained of resources, and their populations were unwilling to continue the fight. Pentagon Alliance troops marched into the Otnemarcasan capital almost uncontested at the end of 348 AF. In the resulting peace treaties Otnemarcas and its allies were annexed by the Pentagon Alliance. The five countries then set about creating a form of global government. This attempt was named the Carthian League. Although the Carthian League was incredibly weak in power and eventually proved unable to maintain peace on Carth, it was an important footnote as the first real attempt at unifying Carth under one government. The Valyncian Era The Century of Exploration With the threat of war gone, at least for a while, the five powers of Carth were free to expend their efforts on subjects besides war. Expeditions into the lower levels of the now ancient cities of Carth were organized and funded by the various countries. These lower levels, collectively known as the Underworld, had gone largely untouched after the fall of the Republic back in 114 AF. Even the first few minor forays into the Underworld brought technological wonders that the modern people of Carth couldn't have dreamed of. Holographic displays became the norm on Carth for the first time in centuries. One of the most successful forays into the Underworld brought back technology that would directly lead to the development of FTL technology. The Underworld proved to be a treasure trove of biological technology. Numerous expeditions brought back preserved records on the human genome and other related subjects. The rapid advance in the biolgical sciences thanks to these rediscoveries caused the standard of living on Carth to skyrocket. Early forays into genetic theropy would help eliminate disease and prepare the people of Carth for space exploration. Not all of these expeditions benefited the people of Carth. The Forlorn Expedition was one such case. In 468 AF an expedition into the Underworld discovered a laboratory in pristine condition that even had running power. The explorers believed they had found the greatest discovery of the century. They probably did, but that didn't stop the discovery from killing them. The explorers were careless, releasing monstrosities of the sort found in their nightmares. Only one of the fifty man expedition returned to the surface. He hadn't returned alone. The monstrosities ran rampunt throughout the region for a decade before they were all tracked down and eliminated. The governments of Carth unilaterally concluded that further expeditions were too risky, banning any further exploration of the Underworld. Meanwhile the exploration of the local star system took off as the various governments saw the opportunity to obtain new resources. A short space race ensued as each country rushed to claim a peice of stellar rock as their own. By 480 AF most of the star system had been claimed and mining efforts had begun in earnest. It quickly became apparent to all involved in the exploration of space that the human body was not optimized for space exploration. Trillions of dollars was invested in genetic experimentation in the hopes of creating a human truly capable of long term space exploration. Genetic therapy proved to be a successful, if temporary, solution to the most immediate problems facing Carth. Rise of the Valyncians and the Commonwealth Shortly after exploiting the local star system, Carthian forays into space slowed down dramatically. For the first time in their written history the people of Carth had more resources then were needed to survive. The governments of Carth stagnated for centuries as their people revelled in a cultural renassaince. This continued until 978 AF when a chance breakthrough in the research of ancient technology led to the development of FTL technology. Suddenly the governments of Carth had access to even more resources than before and they raced each other for these new worlds. A second space race broke out as the Carthian governments pushed their FTL capabilities further and further with each passing year. The sudden resurgence into space exploration also brought with it a renewed interest in the biological sciences. While the countries contested each other in a distant space race, a genetic race ensued at home. The secrets of genetic engineering where quickly unlocked, allowing for true enhancements to be made to the human genome. Humans became less and less human as their genes were toyed with. Most of these experiments ended with little to show for their cost, others paved the way for greater successes. In 1142 AF the first Valyncain, Edward Armstrong, was born. The Valyncians were a new race of humans who were distinct in appearance, capabilities, and genes from normal humans. Edward's birth alone sent shockwaves through Carthian society. Prospective parents rushed to have their unborn children genetically engineered. Soon a visible rich-poor gap developed between the Valyncians and normal humans as only the richest in society could afford the expensive procedures involved in genetic engineering. His birth wasn't the only footprint that Edward left in history. He quickly proved to be a very charismatic man of superior intellect. In 1162 AF, at the mere age of twenty, he created a theoretical form of parliamentary government. This theoretical form of government was quickly adopted by the countries of Carth, due to immense pressue from their citizens, and became known as a Valyncian republic. Edward wasn't done there. Utilizing the fame garnered from his birth and political exploits, Edward gathered billions under a banner for a unified Carthian government. The governments of Carth fought back through the use of propoganda, secret police, and restrictive laws. Even so Edward and his followers endured and kept pushing. Finally in 1175 AF the countries of Carth officially unified under one government, thus forming the Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics. First Contact The existance of life beyond Carth had long been a widely affected fact, one that had helped push towards a unified government. Carth had been recieving radio signals continuously since the fall of the Golden Empire, and before. The greater question had always been was intelligent life beyond Carth still in existance. The Commonwealth learned the answer to this question when, in 1178 AF a space expedition stumbled upon a world inhabiting a completely alien race. While these xenos, known as the Nalloth, were underdeveloped technologically, still in a stone age of sorts, there was little question that they possed a higher intellect than mere animals. This would prove to be the first true test of the unified Commonwealth government. Debates raged as to whether the Commonwealth should uplift these xenos, enslave them, or simply watch. Ultimately the Commonwealth decided to simply watch for a time. Various political entities disagreed with the option, many people fearing a civil war, but the Commonwealth stayed together. Shortly thereafter the Commonwealth began making contact with other spacefaring nations, such as the Duchy. Commonwealth Involvement in the Aurolian Revolution : See the full article on the.... (When Sigma writes it) 1199 AF: ((Placeholder)) The Cormyrean Wars ::: See the full article on the Cormyrean Wars : The Cormyrean Wars was a series of five wars fought largely by the Commonwealth and Nerkin Empire over the Cormyral star system. The Cormyrean Wars are widely accepted as having occured in the years between 1200 AF and 1290 AF. The Cormyrean Wars was the Commonwealth's first interstellar war. The early parts of the Cormyrean Wars was characterized as crushing defeats and a disunified military for the Commonwealth, however towards the end of the conflict the Commonwealth came out on top and forced the Nerkin Empire to surrender. The Commonwealth-Freestate War 1309 AF: ((Placeholder)) Commonwealth Involvement in the Derelict War :: See the full article on the Derelict War : 1488ish AF: They sent supplies and some troops there. ((I'll actually write this out when Sigma finishes with the Derelict War)) Category:The Commonwealth